A proven winner in the collegiate coaching ranks, John Brady enters his eighth season at Arkansas State and 25th year as a head coach at the Division 1 level, closing in on 400 career victories.

Following an 11-18 record in the 2014-15 season, Brady enters the 2015-16 campaign needing nine victories for 400 in his 25-year career. Brady passed the 100 victory milestone as the head coach at A-State with a 69-47 win at in-state foe Central Arkansas on Dec. 1, 2014. Brady guided A-State to a sixth-straight season with at least one player on the Sun Belt Conference All-Conference team with second team selection Anthony Livingston.

The 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons illustrated Brady’s success as A-State has compiled back-to-back 19-win seasons to represent the Red Wolves’ most single-season victories since the 1997-98 campaign. The 2012-13 team posted a 19-12 overall mark and claimed a Sun Belt Conference (SBC) West Division Championship title while the 2013-14 squad registered a 19-13 overall record.

A new era in A-State men’s basketball started March 19, 2008, when Brady was announced as the 15th head coach in Red Wolves’ history. For Brady, the appointment was one he relishes.

“I am excited about the opportunity to lead the Arkansas State men’s basketball program to a position I feel like it deserves in the Sun Belt Conference,” said Brady. “Our goal is not only to play for conference championships, but to advance to the NCAA Tournament. This has always been considered a great basketball community and region that will support this basketball program in a big way. Not only is it our goal to win championships, but to lead the Sun Belt Conference in attendance because of the great fans this university has. We are excited about it and look forward to the opportunities that are ahead.”

Brady wasted little time making a positive impact on the A-State program as in his initial three years at the helm, he turned the Red Wolves into a success story on the court by capturing a share of the Sun Belt Conference’s Western Division Championship title in 2010-11 along with compiling double-digit SBC wins back-to-back for the first time in nearly 20 years and going undefeated at home with a 13-0 record.

During his first season at A-State in 2008-09, Brady directed the Red Wolves to one of their best starts in the program’s history and achieved a number 22 ranking in Collegeinsider.com’s Mid-Major Top 25 poll. A-State also improved its defending and rebounding numbers significantly as the Red Wolves finished near the top of the conference in several statistical categories.

Brady would take the Red Wolves a step further in his second season (2009-10), improving their record to 17-14 while making a Sun Belt Conference Tournament Semifinal appearance and finishing second in the SBC’s West Division. For his efforts, Brady was selected as both the Sun Belt Conference and the District VII Coach of the Year by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). A-State would claim top league honors in three-point field-goal defense, rebounding offense, and defensive rebounding for the 2009-10 campaign.

A-State would conclude 2009-10 sporting an 11-7 SBC record, which signified its best conference mark since the 2006-07 campaign when the Red Wolves achieved an identical league ledger. A-State’s 11 wins represented the seventh time in which the Red Wolves compiled a double-digit league victories total since joining the Sun Belt Conference. A-State duplicated its SBC wins total in the 2010-11 season by finishing with an 11-5 conference record.

Prior to Arkansas State, Brady spent 10-plus seasons serving as head coach at Louisiana State University (LSU). During his career at LSU, Brady guided the Tigers to six postseason berths, two Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championship crowns and three SEC Western Division titles. With his success, Brady was tabbed as the SEC Coach Coach of the Year twice (1999-00 and 2005-06).

Brady’s 16-year tenure as a head coach at LSU and at Samford in Birmingham, Alabama, has been decorated with numerous achievements. He has coached a combined 25 All-Trans America Athletic Conference (TAAC) and Southeastern Conference (SEC) selections, 48 academic all-conference choices, posted 11 winning seasons and collected five division championships. Brady piled up the third most wins in LSU men’s basketball history with 192 total and departed Samford following the 1996-97 season as the Bulldog’s all-time leader in coaching victories (89).

At LSU, Brady quickly turned around a men’s basketball program which had suffered four consecutive losing seasons prior to his arrival. All Brady did was lead the Tigers to a 28-6 overall record, a SEC Championship, and a NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in his third season (1999-00). Under Brady’s direction, the Tigers would go onto register six consecutive winning seasons from 2001-02 to 2006-07 while making three trips to the NCAA Tournament and two National Invitational Tournament (NIT) appearances. The 2005-06 campaign saw LSU post a 27-9 overall record and advance to the Final Four for the first time in 20 years.

Not only did Brady coach LSU to 23 wins versus ranked opponents, but he also led the Tigers to victories over two nationally number-one ranked teams in the Associated Press Poll (Arizona in 2002-03 and Duke in 2005-06). Brady orchestrated a 19-game home winning streak over SEC opponents, which marked the third- longest stretch in LSU history.

While at LSU, Brady coached two NBA Lottery picks and six NBA players. The Tigers excelled in recruiting under Brady by signing nine Parade All-Americans and four McDonald All-Americans. Brady also coached three SEC Players of the Year, four players named SEC Freshman of the Year, one SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and 17 All-SEC selections.

Prior to taking over the LSU reigns, Brady served as Samford’s head coach from 1991-92 through 1996-97. He quickly turned around a Samford program, which was coming off six straight losing seasons, by guiding the Bulldogs to a 17-10 overall record in just his second

season. Brady went on to lead Samford to three consecutive winning seasons (1995-97) for the first time since 1982-84, culminating in a 19-9 overall record and division crown in 1997. SU placed first in the TAAC’s West Division in each of Brady’s final two seasons for the first time in program history.

Brady’s four winning seasons at Samford represented the first for any coach at the school. He directed SU to an 89-77 record after the Bulldogs went 27-83 the four seasons prior to his initial year. Brady coached eight All-TAAC and 14 Academic All-TAAC student-athletes over his six seasons at Samford.

A native of McComb, Miss., Brady earned his bachelor’s degree from Belhaven College in 1976. A three-year starter at BC, he scored over 1,000 career points. Brady, a two-time All-Southern States Conference selection, was inducted into his alma mater’s Hall of Fame.

Brady began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Mississippi State University where he earned his master’s degree in 1977. Brady accepted his first head coaching position at Louisiana’s Crowley High School in 1977 and led the boy’s basketball program to a 129-49 (.725) overall record in five seasons. He was honored as the 1981 Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 3-A Coach of the Year.

Brady returned to the college coaching ranks in 1982 as an assistant coach at Mississippi State. He spent eight years (1982-90) with the Bulldogs, the first four seasons under coach Bob Hoyt and the proceeding four as a chief recruiter for coach Richard Williams. Following his tenure at MSU, Brady served as an assistant coach at the University of New Orleans and played an integral role in leading UNO to the NCAA Tournament during his lone season (1990-91) with the Privateers.

Coaching Record

99-91 record in six A-State seasons

380-307 record in 23 seasons overall

Coaching Honors

Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year Award recipient, 2009-10

U.S. Basketball Writers Association Coach of the Year, 2009-10

SEC Coach of the Year Award recipient, 1999-00 and 2005-06

Samford's All-TIme Winningest Coach - (89-77 record), 1991-97

Miscellaneous

Guided Arkansas State's 2013-14 and 2012-13 teams to 19 overall victories apiece, which marked the program's most single-season wins since the 1997-98 campaign. The Red Wolves posted a 19-13 overall record in 2013-14 and went 19-12 overall in the 2012-13 season.

Led Arkansas State to 2012-13 Sun Belt Conference West Division Championship title

Led Arkansas State to 2010-11 Sun Belt Conference West Division Championship title

Teams have made six postseason appearances and four NCAA Tournament berths